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Twisted Metal: Health Pick Up Debate

David Jaffe recently revealed that the health pick-ups in Twisted Metal multiplayer would have no way of being turned off, which has since caused some gamers in the TM Community Forums to express their distaste for the decision.

As summarized at MP1st, some are saying this makes the game more "dumbed down" (that's a familiar phrase) and can negate skillful playing. Jaffe has responded to these complaints by saying that after testing for nearly a year, nobody on his team has noticed a problem:

"NOT ONCE has ANYONE said ‘man, I think this would be better without any pick up 1/3 health packs...plus the game is done for now… We want to get the game out, see how it plays for the world, and then we’ll make some decisions."

Now, veterans will remember the 1/3 health pick-ups in past entries. Of course, there was no online multiplayer then, but they certainly existed in the single-player action. And it was quite possible for an enemy to grab a health pack before you could successfully destroy him, so health pick-ups aren't new to the franchise. How they'll work in multiplayer is something that remains to be seen.

The health pick-ups will be in random locations, though, and that's in contrast to other titles. What's your take on the matter?

Comments (12 posts)

It's fine. As a Twisted Metal, and TMBO veteran as well, health pick ups only give you so much health back. If the person chasing the guy is attacking them and really chasing them, a health pick up isn't going to save them.

What's going to save the player being chased is their SKILL, not the pick up. If you can adjust to how a player is attacking you, out maneuver them and find a way to counter, that is what makes the difference, not health pick ups. If an attacker is gunning for you, and you manage to get some health but still can't get away or don't get saved, it doesn't matter.

SKILL rules all in Twisted.

Health pick ups are useful if you kill someone and you're really low and then you can get to the health, and that'll give you a little bit of extra time. It doesn't dumb it down, it's nice to be able to get a bit of health after an intense battle if you survive it.

The health pickup doesn't bother me as it was a necessity in some of the older games (Dark Tooth in TM2). But I wonder if the healing combo will still be in the game as well seeing as that healed more then the health pack I think, it could really change the online match results if you grab a health pack too. For online fights, I think it should be a toggle in the options for those that would like to use it or not.

As a TM fan I could care less and would rather the series stay true to how I remember it. I don't like when games change certain things. Although the health pick ups obviously don't define TM they have always been a part of it.

Personally the Resistance series fell victim to this, leaving everything great in FoM, with that game, and going in a different direction for R2. Still love the games, but FoM was so good!

They should add separate matchmaking options with regenerating health. Why not? It would allow new players ease into play.

On a different note, this may be the exclusive that I'm most excited for this year. If we can get a strong community and continuous post launch support, Twisted Metal may just be the definitive ps3 multiplayer game.

I do not understand why it would "dumb" a game down. If it is there for all then you must take them into your strategy. Fact of the matter is that if you add a variable then it makes the game more difficult. Especially if they claim the health packs to be random deployed.

Rage also has multiplayer health packs, they were not random and fully rechardged your health. I didn't see them as "dumb" down.